New Staff
Laura Snell
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Laura Snell has recently
joined the Division of Plastic
and Reconstructive Surgery at
Sunnybrook Health Sciences
Centre. Her main clinical
interest is in the reconstruction
of oncologic ablative
defects, particularly breast
reconstruction. Her clinical
goal is to establish a leading
breast reconstruction program
at Sunnybrook. She is also interested in the surgical
treatment of patients diagnosed with melanoma.
Laura is a graduate of the Plastic Surgery Residency
Program at the University of Toronto. She became a
Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons
of Canada in 2008. At the conclusion of her residency
program, she was awarded the prestigious Ross Tilley
Scholarship for plastic and reconstructive surgery by the
Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons in 2008.
Following residency, Laura pursued a two year long
Microvascular and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship
at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New
York City. During this fellowship, she also completed
a Masters of Science in Biostatistics at Columbia
University.
Laura is the Journal Club Coordinator in the Division
of Plastic Surgery at the University of Toronto. Her
research interests include the evaluation and management
of patient expectations following breast reconstruction,
and how better patient education can subsequently
improve postoperative satisfaction. She is also interested
in patient perceptions of donor site morbidity following
breast reconstruction.
Dimitri Anastakis
Chair, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Christine Novak
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We are pleased to announce that Christine Novak has
recently been recruited and appointed as an Associate
Professor with the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive
Surgery, Department of Surgery, as a Scientist at
the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and a Research
Associate at the University
Health Network in the Hand
Program (Toronto Western
Hospital) and the Wharton
Head & Neck Centre. She
holds a Bachelor of Science
(Honours Kinesiology) from
the University of Waterloo.
She has expertise in peripheral
nerve research and will focus
on clinical outcomes and
assessment of patients with musculoskeletal disorders,
particularly nerve injury and nerve compression.
Christine also holds a Bachelor of Science in Physical
Therapy and a Master of Science degree from the
University of Toronto. In 2010, she completed her PhD
at the Institute of Medical Science at the University of
Toronto; the title of her dissertation was Biomedical and
Psychosocial Factors Associated with Pain and Disability
after Peripheral Nerve Injury.
Christine is a member of a number of professional
organizations including the American Association for
Hand Surgery (Affiliate Member), American Society
for Surgery of the Hand (Affiliate member), American
Society for Peripheral Nerve and Canadian Physiotherapy
Association. She has served on the Board of Directors
of the American
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Association for Hand Surgery and is
presently a Council member of the American Society
for Peripheral Nerve. She is an Associate Editor for the
Journal of Hand Surgery, HAND and Physiotherapy
Canada and an invited reviewer for the Archives of
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Journal of Thoracic
and Cardiovascular Surgery, and Plastic & Reconstructive
Surgery.
Her research focus has been in the area of clinical
outcomes and assessment of patients with musculoskeletal
disorders, particularly nerve injury and nerve compression.
She has numerous peer reviewed publications
and book chapters published in this specialty and has
presented at many national and international meetings.
As a physiotherapist, her clinical practice has focused on
the management of patients with upper extremity nerve
related pathologies.
Stefan Hofer & Dimitri Anastakis
The Division of Plastic and
Reconstructive Surgery at
Sunnybrook Health Sciences
Centre is pleased to announce
the opening of Joan Lipa's
practice in Oncologic
Reconstruction. Although new
to Sunnybrook and the Odette
Cancer Program, she brings ten
years of experience and expertise
in the area of post-mastectomy
breast cancer reconstruction and microvascular surgery.
Joan Lipa
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Joan graduated from The University of Western Ontario
in 1992, and completed a Comprehensive Surgery
Internship at The Toronto Hospital General Division,
followed by her Plastic Surgery Residency Training at the
University of Toronto. During this time, she completed
the Surgeon-Scientist Program to obtain her M.Sc. degree
through the Institute of Medical Science at the U of T
School of Graduate Studies. She then went on to The
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in
Houston, TX to complete her fellowship in Microvascular
Surgery and Oncologic Reconstruction.
In 2001, Joan started her practice at University Health
Network focusing on the care of breast cancer patients and
cancer patients requiring complex reconstructions. She was
a member of the Department of Surgical Oncology and the
Division of Plastic Surgery and was promoted to Associate
Professor at the University of Toronto.
In 2008 she was recruited to the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Division of Plastic
Surgery where she broadened her scope of reconstructive
procedures that can be offered to patients.
Joan Lipa has returned to Toronto and is partnering
with Laura Snell to develop the Breast Reconstruction and
Oncologic Reconstructive Service and Research Group at
Sunnybrook. They are able to offer immediate reconstruction
at Sunnybrook through a coordinated effort with
Surgical Oncologists at the Odette Cancer Program. Their
combined office is located within the Division of Plastic &
Reconstructive Surgery on M1 Room 519A and Joan can
be reached at Tel: 416-480-6069, Fax 416-480-5795. Her
assistant, Franca Vasco can be reached via email at: franca.vasco@sunnybrook.ca
Paul Binhammer
Head, Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
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